The new Bottleworks is full of Schlafly goodness -- and bison!

But oh, has the Bottleworks provided a home for buffalo lovers to roam! This kitchen knows its way around a bison. Both the burger and the meat loaf showcase the lean meat's deeper flavor, furthering the case that cows ought to take a back seat. Little on the menu outranks the bison meat loaf entrée, accompanied by two standout side dishes (also available separately). Pan-fried corn lives up to its description: "simple, creamy and delicious"; potatoes au gratin, baked with smoked Gouda, is one of the most delectable things ever done to a spud. A short list of personal pizzas -- along with pastas, the menu's departure point from more down-home fare -- makes for lovely shareable appetizers or a meal. Particularly the pesto chicken pizza: Absent tomato sauce but loaded with smoked chicken, pesto, kalamata olives, spinach, feta and (hooray!) pine nuts, it's positively Greek-looking in presentation and flavor, and a wonderful item.

I also loved the house salad, a ridiculously simple bowl of large lollo rossa and red oak leaves tossed with a few thick cucumber slices, a plump cherry tomato and a delicate vinaigrette made with Schlafly hefeweizen. The menu notes that the lettuce was grown hydroponically, suspended in nutrient-fortified water rather than rooted in soil, which eliminates the need for pesticides to stave off weeds and bugs. This is just one example of how the folks behind the Bottleworks are admirably aiming for something worthwhile, something mutually beneficial to them, their patrons and the community at large. They serve Heinz's organic ketchup (which I didn't even know existed). The bison, pecans, field greens, black beans and many other provisions are likewise organic. They offer beer-pairing suggestions alongside many menu items (and, as most St. Louisan suds lovers will attest, Schlafly brews marvelous beer) and proudly list on the back the names and locations of their local purveyors. They host a farmer's market in the parking lot on Wednesday and movie screenings inside one or two nights a month, and they've recently inaugurated an on-site community garden from which they pull chard, kale, basil and chives.

Like modern Rome -- or, for that matter, the downtown Maplewood renaissance -- the Bottleworks needn't be built in a day. With a bit of kitchen-tweaking, the one less than applause-worthy facet of Schlafly's beer-brewing mini-empire ought to catch up to the rest.